Knowing full well I was listening to an album of cover songs, I still kept forgetting this isn’t a collection of originals until some slight familiar strains peeked through. Imagine Rammstein doing Love Will Tear Us Apart, except the croaking vocals are two octaves even further down, and the heavy riffage is replaced by Spanish guitar and sitar. This Tuvan trio is clearly steeped in their native folk, but somehow make their stripped-down acoustic set-up sound fierce and doomy. I’m already a fan of exotic instrumentation and sub-sonic throat singing, so I’m glad this band will win some well-deserved attention by taking on “popular” tunes. In addition to Joy Division, they cover Kraftwerk, Led Zeppelin, Motorhead, and my favorite Hank Williams Sr. song, among others. The description probably sounds silly, but it comes across as serious and skilled. A great introduction to an unusual sound for those looking to expand their horizons from rock radio.

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